South Africans wary mobile apps are tracking them

THE tracking capabilities of mobile apps are becoming a concern for South African users.

According to cybersecurity experts from Kaspersky Lab, there are rising concerns among consumers about how much of their internet activity is being watched, or whether they are traceable through their online footprint.

Kaspersky Lab has found, for example, that 71 percent of South Africans are uncomfortable with sharing their location information with websites and applications. The figure has risen significantly from 53 percent in 2016.

Furthermore, 65 percent are concerned someone can see everything they do or watch them on their device where 59 percent fear that someone could track them down using geolocation information from their device.

Kaspersky believes the concerns are well-founded.

Company experts have established that apps can not only access a huge amount of data but also often work in the background without users knowing.

“Apps have become an important part of our day-to-day lives,” said Dmitry Aleshin, Kaspersky Lab Vice President for Product Marketing.

“We use them for everything – from editing photos to updating our social media accounts, or from playing games to booking a table at a restaurant. But this research shows that despite our love for apps, we don’t necessarily trust them.”

Aleshin said while people were becoming more switched on about their apps tracking their online activity, they were not necessarily putting measures in place to protect themselves from any potential problems.

“That’s where we can help give users peace of mind. Our products are designed specifically to help people get on with their digital lives – and enjoy all the Internet has to offer without having to worry.” – CAJ News

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